The Epistle of Barnabas 1 - Second to Matthias - First in Understanding

In Acts 1, lots are cast between Barnabas and Matthias to replace Judas. Matthias gained the spot among the Apostles.

Below, the high points of the Epistle of Barnabas: Epistle of Barnabas

Barnabas 1:1
I Bid you greeting, sons and daughters, in the name of the Lord that
loved us, in peace.

---Barnabas starts his epistle with a greeting, but comes in the name of the Lord rather than his own name. Many of you will know why this is important.

Barnabas 1:6
Well then, there are three ordinances of the Lord; *the hope of life,
which is the beginning and end of our faith; and righteousness, which
is the beginning and end of judgment; love shown in gladness and
exultation, the testimony of works of righteousness.*

---An ordinance is an authoritative decree or command. Here, Barnabas outlines three aspects of our faith. Hope is the beginning of faith and the end of faith. What is the end of faith for the believer? Evidence that leads to fact. Judgment ends when we find the point of life. The point is to love others and remove the need for law. You can read about this specifically at the end of Galatians 5 and the end of Galatians 3. Faith without works is dead. As Barnabas points out, our works testify of our love.

Barnabas 1:7
For the Lord made known to us by His prophets things past and
present, giving us likewise the firstfruits of the taste of things
future. And seeing each of these things severally coming to pass,
according as He spake, we ought to offer a richer and higher offering
to the fear of Him. But I, not as though I were a teacher, but as
one of yourselves, will show forth a few things, whereby ye shall be
gladdened in the present circumstances.

---God draws the future into the past for us to see twice. The first time, we read our future. The second time, we experience the future as the present. The present is the gift. Fear of the Lord is not dread of the future. It is the reverence for the one who told us what would happen. Fear is deference. Take hope in present circumstances. There is a bright future ahead of us, beyond the tribulation that is coming to Earth.

I will keep this short and to the point. My next thread will cover chapter 2 of the Epistle. Feel free to give your view. What have I missed in these words? Go back to the link above and read the entire first chapter if you wish. I have covered what is most important, but maybe you can see something I missed.

Why am I covering this extra-biblical book? It holds an amazing key to understanding what I mention in one of my past threads: DNA for Dummies.

Form more on why this will be important, consult the links at the bottom of the thread above. You will find a summary of short threads outlining simple versions of complex subjects from the Bible. These are my views and my own personal theology. As I make my way through the Epistle of Barnabas, you will see a few connections that I consider to be very important for us to understand before 2018 comes and goes.

All of my threads....

"In Acts 1, lots are cast between Barnabas and Matthias to replace Judas. Matthias gained the spot among the Apostles. "

I misspoke here in the OP. Barnabas is called an Apostle in Chapter 14. I was mistaken in chapter 1 with Joseph called Barsabas. Had my threads crossed from Chapter 14:

14 Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out...

This brings me to a new point. How can Paul and Barnabas be called Apostles if there are only 12?

WIKIPEDIA

"Paul the Apostle (Saul of Tarsus), not one of the Twelve or the Seventy but a later convert, "the apostle of the Gentiles",[Romans 11:13] claimed a special commission from the resurrected Jesus, separate from the Great Commission given to the Twelve. Paul did not restrict the term apostle to the Twelve, he referred to his mentor Barnabas as an apostle.[1] The restricted usage appears in Revelation."